Gheorghe Piperea: "We must protect consumers from financial self-destruction"

The development of online commerce has led to an increased risk of compulsive shopping and consumer over-indebtedness, said MEP Gheorghe Piperea, representative of the ECR political group in the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) of the European Parliament, at the meeting on February 17, when the own-initiative report (INI) - "Product safety and compliance with regulations in e-commerce and imports from outside the EU" was discussed.

Gheorghe Piperea stated: "In the face of online commerce, shopping is no longer just a necessity. The dangers of compulsive shopping and the risk of over-indebtedness must also be addressed in our report. We are no longer talking about a simple promotion of a product, but about deceptive commercial practices that manipulate buyers' emotions, about advertisements targeted at the individual's purchasing habits. In the face of this phenomenon, civil law means are proving ineffective. Credit and sales contracts cannot prevent the compulsive behavior of consumers, who are lured by aggressive advertising. On the other hand, consumer protection works reactively, sanctioning obvious abuses, but fails to counter the daily temptations that lead to over-indebtedness. Stronger measures are needed, beyond civil law - mandatory financial education, self-limitation mechanisms in shopping applications and stricter accountability of platforms that facilitate excessive consumption. Ultimately, protecting the consumer does not only mean defending his rights, but also preventing financial self-destruction".

According to Mr. Piperea, the INI report aims to strengthen market surveillance regulations for products sold online, especially with regard to unsafe and illegal e-commerce products, especially from third countries in the EU.

Own-initiative reports (INIs) in the European Parliament are mainly used to influence policies, shape legislative debates and get the European Commission to take action. Although they do not have direct legislative power, they serve as important political tools.

With these reports, the European Parliament adopts positions on key issues, even when there is no formal legislative proposal. They help set the agenda by highlighting concerns and recommending solutions. If an INI report is an own-initiative legislative report (INL), Parliament can formally request the European Commission to propose new legislation. The Commission is not legally obliged to comply, but must justify its decision if it refuses.

The European Commission and the Council of the EU often take INI reports into account when developing new policies or reviewing existing ones. These reports can lead to Green Papers, White Papers or formal proposals.

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